Wednesday, July 1st at 7pm the Portland Timbers take on the MLS Seattle Sounders in a third round US Open Cup match at PGE Park.

I’ve seen quite a few USL vs MLS matches over the years – in general there is not much difference in player quality between the better USL teams like this year’s Portland team, and an MLS side.

The best good-sized forwards with a knack for scoring don’t stay in the USL for long (see Gordon, Alan), but in all other positions the main differences are size and fitness, not skill (again, I’m talking only about the best USL teams); the MLS players are generally bigger and fitter (they train year round). The 2009 Timbers have good size, okay speed, considerable midfield skill, and play exceptional team defense so they should match up as well as any USL team against the MLS side. How the Timbers defend Seattle’s best playmakers (suggestion: smother them), and fitness will be the key. Gavin can counteract deficiency in fitness by using his substitutions wisely. Pore and McManus will be available for this game, Keita, Hayes, Suzuki, Farber, Cronin, and others are in excellent form. The Timbers won’t be going for a moral victory. This is going to be hell of a lot of fun. See you there!

At some point every summer I arrive at the realization there are no more weekends left.

By this I mean that on any weekend from late June through September you’d be hard pressed to not find a fair or festival I will probably be going to.

With the month of July, we reach that saturation point. So I have resurrected the Dave Knows Calendar.

On this calendar you will find most of the summer street fairs, fall festivals, and beer festivals. And of course all the Timbers matches (thanks to whoever created this public calendar!).

Hopefully my calendar will be as useful to you as it is to me!

In addition to the separate page on this site (see navigation bar at top of page), it’s also available as a public Google Calendar (Calendar ID: l4op4el7t7e8lkm3crkb4echfk@group.calendar.google.com), so you can snag the XML feed, import it into iCal, or just link to it:

Daveknows.org was born June 22, 2007. So as of last Monday, the blog is two years old!
I had completely forgotten about this most auspicious date, until reminded by the first birthday celebration going on over at OurPDX. It will probably take OurPDX’s anniversary posts each year from now on to remind me to tic off another year of Dave Knows Portland, so thanks OurPDX! 😉

Last year at this time I was averaging 4.9 posts per week. This year it’s up to 5.1, with 530 posts under my belt (as of 6/22 – actually with this post the tally is 536). I’m patting myself on the back right now.

Earlier in the day, at 1pm, the Portland Timbers U-23’s take on the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency at PGE Park. Come to that match, then cross 18th for the bbq and tailgate at the parking lot between SW Taylor and SW Salmon on 18th Ave (behind Cheerful Bullpen). Several Timbers players will be making some appearances to hang out with the fans. For more information check out this thread.

It’s my favorite summer beer festival; not as crowded as the Big One, nor as expensive as the Pearl One. And so far (I’ve been every year) the crowds are reasonable.

The hours Friday and Saturday are noon to 9pm, and noon to 5pm Sunday. Most samples cost one $1 token, though some of the stronger ones take two. The tasting mug costs $6, but you get a $1 off if you show a validated MAX ticket. The Yellow Line stops just across the street, at the Overlook Park Station. There’s really no parking, and you’ll be drinking beer, so take the train!

It hit the 90s last year, but the weather this year looks to be perfect for beer drinking, and this year’s beer selection also looks good (Heather will be delighted to see five cider options!). I’m looking forward to trying the two Belgian style IPAs – one from the excellent Hood River brewery Double Mountain, and one from a brewery I’m unfamiliar with, Elliot Bay Brewing. Roots‘s perfect summer kölsch will be on tap, but they will also be featuring a rotating tap. There will be plenty of IPAs for the hop heads, as per usual, and quite a few Belgians, lagers, and lighter stuff.